Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I had a good first conversation with Romania’s new Foreign Minister Dan Neculaescu. I congratulated my colleague on his appointment and wished him success in his new role. 

Romania is an important strategic partner for Ukraine, and we have a strong shared interest in the security and stability of the Black Sea region. We discussed how to build on our cooperation and respond together to the growing threats in our region. 

Russia’s latest drone attack on a civilian cargo ship near the Romanian coast, which killed a Ukrainian citizen and left three more Ukrainian crew members missing, shows how far the consequences of Russia’s aggression extend.  

We need to be united and decisive in protecting civilian shipping, ensuring freedom of navigation, and increasing pressure on Russia. The Odesa Triangle will be an important format for taking this work forward. 

I thanked Romania for its comprehensive support, including for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. We also discussed our work to protect the rights of the Ukrainian minority in Romania and the Romanian minority in Ukraine. 

We agreed to stay in close contact and continue working together on our shared priorities".